Fractious Murray outlasts Stepanek

Andy Murray is through to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Rolex Master after defeating Radek Stepanek. Despite being far from his best, the Scot eventually prevailed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Stepanek's serve and volley game is thoroughly unconventional in this era of baseline grinders and, for much of the first set, he drove Murray to distraction. The Czech was on fire, anticipating Murray's passing shots with supernatural precision.

Murray has been suffering from illness and, after one exchange was heard to say "I'm tired, I'm sick and I'm playing so bad". Whilst we can speculate on the tiredness and sickness, the bad play was evident in abundance. Routine ground-strokes were shanked, easy volleys missed and second serves thudded into the net.

The unforced errors piled up and by the end of the first set the count stood at 13.

Thankfully the Scot upped his level and ground out the win - but it wasn't pretty.

Andy played a bad service game in the 1st set and paid the price. Radek, to be fair, didn't give him a look in and got the tactics spot on. Andy upped his game the 2nd, but Radek's serve began to drop with Andy taking advantage. The 3rd set had the good, the bad and the ugly.

Just got home and found that Andy managed to win a difficult match despite being under the weather with cold/cough/throat. Given another day to get over it he will I'm sure fight to win Fed, and will I hope and pray he will prevail. Pleased to see Aileen is back, I've missed you.

Well done, Andy Murray. sometimes he plays most brilliantly when he is seriously under pressure. after the second set I really thought he had taken the decisive step. Never had I imagined such fierce opposition from Stepanek, always believed in him deteriorating at one point. But this is champion's style - to show true grit, and of course Stepanek made his mistakes to help it.

Just got home and found that Andy managed to win a difficult match despite being under the weather with cold/cough/throat. Given another day to get over it he will I'm sure fight to win Fed, and will I hope and pray he will prevail. Pleased to see Aileen is back, I've missed you.

I've just listened to Andy's post-match interview yesterday and he kept coughing a bit throughout like he had a sore throat. Hope it's not going to be one of the nastier viruses that he's had in the past. Still, he found a way to beat an on-form Stepanek, so ugly or not, he won. The mark of a true champ!

Well done Andy. As they often say it's the sign of the true champ who can win when so clearly far below his best and not feeling well especially as Stepanek was playing very well for some of the time. Can't see him really beating smugfed if he's feeling so bad. Much as I'd love him to beat him it's not a disaster if he doesn't and can get home and look after himself before the last push to WTF.

Yes hard work for Andy but he won and that is all that matters. Like you say Ruthie he was coughing a lot yesterday so hope he is okay. Smugfed again I hope Andy wins or we will have to put up with that vain arrogant man.